Understanding Willow

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"What are you doing here, No.6?" The greater basilisk hissed. She glared down at the small, disguised basilisk. Why was she here, of all places?
No.6 shook her head, ignoring the question. "It doesn't matter why I'm here! You need to get out of here, before the Emperor's Coven arrives!" She insisted. The larger basilisk scoffed.
"Why should I fear those who created us? They knew what was coming for them. Now, they'll see our TRUE power!"
The inspector let out a screech, lurching forward. No.6 braced herself, but the larger basilisk just slithered around her. The witchling wasn't going to stop her.
"No. 3! I don't want you getting hurt-"
The basilisk growled, lashing her tail out. It struck No.6, sending her flying into a wall. The inspector felt guilty as she watched the smaller basilisk whimper in pain, clutching at her sides.
Shaking her head, the inspector slithered over to No.6, letting her anger take over her. She couldn't show emotion like
her.
"You're emotions are getting the better of you, No.6. The witch side of you is making you weak." She hissed.
"I should've killed you to put you out of your misery."
She didn't mean to say that. She didn't mean to act the way she did.
Opening her jaws, she towered over No.6 as if she were going to crush her.
She just wanted to scare the smaller basilisk away.
Why couldn't she have taken her away herself? Take care of her like she should've? Like she once did?
She wasn't in her right mind.

(Present day...)

Boscha was leaning against the school lockers of Hexside, magically changing her nails while Amity read a book beside her.
Her nails changed into tentacles. "Too wiggly." She muttered. Changing them into miniature flames, she groaned. "Too obvious."
Finally, she settled on talons. "Now we're talkin'! I think today is a talons day-rawr!" She stated, flexing her hand.
Skara walked over to the two, carrying what seemed to be rolled up invitations. "Hey girls! Time to bug out at my birthday party!" She greeted, holding up one of the invitations and unrolling it. They were in the shapes of sparkly butterflies, glittering in the light. It's wings read "Skara's 15th"
"Invite only, but you witches are my VIPs!" She said, handing each to her two friends. Amity inspected the invitation. "Are these made out of real insect wings?" She asked. Skara nodded excitedly. "My dad spared no expense! You only turn 15 once!"
"You only turn every age once, Skara." Boscha pointed out.
"Prepare thyself-"
The three witchlings glanced down the hall to see the human Luz, with Hazel and Willow. She held both their hands in an odd manner.
"-to do battle like a human! Thumb war!!" Luz yelled out. The three friends had faces drawn onto their thumbs, as the two witchlings battled against Luz. They laughed. "It's funny 'cause it's stupid!" Willow pointed out.
Boscha, Amity, and Skara watched their odd behaviour. "It's so weird that a human goes here now." Boscha said. "Too bad she's already burned her social life at the stake. Any friends of Willow and Hazel are an automatic dork."
The invitation in her hand starts molting, and Boscha let out a yelp of disgust. "Ugh! Skara! Why did you give me an invite that was molting? Gross! Give me another one."
She throws the invite onto the floor, landing in front of two small kids. One gasps. "An invitation to Skara's party! I want it!" It yells, shoving the second one away. The second one retaliates by kicking the first one. "I want it!"
"It's mine!"
"No, it's mine!"
The two kids wrestle. A teacher passing by gasps at the sight. "Oh. Kid fight!"
Many more teachers appear, chanting the same thing.
"Kid fight!"

Luz, Hazel and Willow stood in the halls of Hexside, in front of the lockers. Luz was ecstatic for that days lesson. "Oh my gosh guys, I'm so excited for photo class!" She squealed, tickling a locker to open it. "I can't believe you can make pictures of your actual memories! I'ma see me some baby Willow and Hazel!" She cooed.
Willow giggled. "I'll admit, I was adorable."
Luz turned to an anxious Hazel. Realising what she said, she placed a comforting hand on the basilisk's shoulder. "Hey, it'll be okay! Maybe you can ask the teacher if you can sit this one out-" she started. Hazel shook her head, waving her hands around. "N-no, I wanna do it! Even though my childhood was...mostly bad, there are still some good memories." She paused, smiling a little. "They may not be as bright and colourful as yours, but I do have some...special people from those days."
Luz squealed. "This is so exciting!" She reached into her locker, about to pull out a book when the locker bites down on it. The human started pulling at it. "Don't eat that!"
The book slips from her grasp, and she tumbles to the floor. The locker eats the book, hissing at the human. Luz hisses back, getting back to her feet.
Boscha, Amity, and Skara walk by the three friends. "I can't believe she'd even hang out with them! It's just embarrassing." Boscha cackled. She imitates putting glasses over her eyes. ""Oh look at me! I'm going on a date with my ferns!"" She imitates. Willow's shoulders droop. Boscha laughs as she continues, clasping her hands together. ""I'm the weirdo who likes hiding in weird places! I only talk to weird losers!""
Willow wilts sadly, while Hazel's ears fell, cheeks flaring red with anger. Luz placed a comforting hand on both their shoulders. "That could be anyone!" She tried reasoning.
Skara cackled at Boscha's "jokes". "Solid Willow and Hazel impression, Boscha!" The young witchling turned to Amity. "Amity, weren't you friends with Willow?"
All three stop walking. Amity glares at Skara out of the corner of her eye. "I'm a Blight. We only associate with a select few. Keep annoying me though, I'm happy to select fewer." The green-haired witch answered in a monotone voice, walking away from the two. Skara was taken aback. "Oh, I coulda sworn that you guys hung out."
Willow sighs. Luz glanced over to Hazel, to see her white freckles growing larger and smaller in size. Her eyes were filled with rage.

In memory class, Luz clicked the tweezers she was holding, waiting for Willow to get ready. Hazel sat on another chair. Her photos were already developing.
"Alright memory melon, let's pick another juicy one!" The human said. Willow wiggled her ear. "Be careful with my brain!"
Luz pulls out a photo of Willow's ear, putting the empty photo on the wire. "Ooo, who says brain surgery is hard?"
Willow rubs her ear. The teacher walks over to the three. "As you work, note that some prints have greater clarity than others. These are moments that invoke strong emotional response." She explained. Luz gasped. "All the colours of the brainbow."
She went to touch a photo, when a big blue hand that has "HALT" on it stops her.
"But, if you damage the prints, you'll damage the memories themselves! Be extremely careful!" She warned, walking away.
"Whoa, photo class is intense." Luz pointed out.
Hazel's photos develops. One was of a small, unfamiliar basilisk leaning against the bars, sitting as close as she could to a young Hazel. Their full forms were bright, but the background around them was a dull grey and full of chains and cages. The basilisk was pulling a funny face at the guard walking away. Young Hazel was giggling, hiding her smile behind her hand, wiping away a stray tear.
Lus gasped. "Awww, you're so cute! Who's that with you?" The human asked curiously. Hazel smiled, giggling a little. "That's No.5. She's my sister. I haven't seen her in a while." She added more quietly.
More photos developed. One was of a basilisk that was familiar to both Willow and Luz. The greater basilisk, who looked much smaller, was holding a sleeping, 3yo Hazel in its arms, calm and content.
Hazel froze, and as Luz was about to ask a question, she snatched the photo away, shoving it in her pocket. Luz held up her hands in surrender. "Whoa, what was that? Was that the basilisk that attacked Hexside?" She asked curiously.
Hazel looked away. "I don't want to talk about it." She stated.
Luz and Willow shared a look, but didn't say anything. They instead looked at the other photographs. One was of a pink haired witchling and a flustered Hazel. Luz grinned. "Ooooh, who's this?" She asked, sliding over and giving the basilisk a nudge. Hazel glanced back up at the photo Luz was talking about.
The human was grinning at the photo, observing Hazel's hands being held behind her back, seeming to kick the air in front of her. There was an obvious blush on her face.
The basilisk felt her cheeks flush, and she chuckled nervously. "O-oh. That's Liza. I met her at the library the day you went to the grudgby game." She said, scratching the back of her neck.
Willow peered over Luz's shoulder. "Oh, Elizabeth! She's Amity's cousin." She explained. Luz gasped. "Cousin?! I have GOT to meet her!"
Willow giggled. At that moment, one of her photos had finished developing. It was of a young Willow sitting on a chair. She had a band-aid on her cheek, with wavy, poofy hair.
"Oh my gosh, Willow, you had an awkward hair phase, too? I knew we were meant to be friends!" Luz exclaimed, holding up a picture of a younger Luz.
More photos developed, and the three friends watched excitedly. Willow being pushed on a swing by her dads, Willow feeding a spider demon, and Willow and her dads at what looks like a winter holiday. Finally, the last one shows a young Amity hugging Willow at a birthday party.
Willow groans, turning away from it. Luz patted her back. "Hey, I know you and Amity have a history. Wouldn't you feel better talking about it?" She asked. Willow shook her head, plucking the photograph and turning it the other way. "No, I'd rather do this. That's my motto after all! "Out of sight, out of mind."" The witchling stated.
The bell screams and rings, and the other students begin leaving. Hazel grabs the picture of No.5 and herself, placing it in her pocket too. Willow started leaving too, when Luz stopped her. "If you won't tell me what she did, I'll never be able to cook up a scheme to make you friends again." She said. The witchling shook her head, as Hazel stood beside her. "Luz, I get it, but I don't want you to do that. No schemes, no plots, no ruses, none! Okay? Now let's get to lunch!"
Hazel and Willow left the room, leaving Luz alone. The human turns to the photographs, flipping the one with Amity and Willow around. "She never did mention anything about...shenanigans." She smirked mischievously, before following her two friends to the cafeteria.

"I can't believe I made him cry. Like, he's the teacher." Boscha said to Amity. They were walking by the photo class. The green-haired witch stops, as she catches something out of the corner of her eye. Her eyes widen in surprise, as she looks at Willow's memory photos, specifically the birthday party one. "Oh no."
Boscha walks back to Amity realising she wasn't following her. "Why do you look like you've seen a ghost? Is there a ghost in photo class? Are they cute?!" She asks excitedly. She tries peering into the classroom, but Amity held a hand up to her eyes to block her vision.
"Yep, just a super cute ghost. But they're all mine!" She rushed, slamming the door on Boscha.
"Ask if they have any friends!" The witchling calls through the door.
Amity rushes over to the photographs, taking down the one with the two young witchlings. "Willow, I'm sorry. But I have to do this." She sighed.
Casting a spell, she summons a small flame. She burns her face off the photo. Blowing on the embers to put them out, Amity places the photo back on the wire and starts to leave.
Turning her back to the photographs, she didn't notice the picture reignite. That is, until she heard something still burning.
Glancing over her shoulder, she noticed the flames engulfing the picture. "Oh, no. No, no, no, no!" She panicked.
Blowing on the flame, it only spread to the other photos. She let out a frustrated groan. "Oh, come on!"

"Please! I wanna know what happened! How do you know that basilisk? Were you raised together? What's her real name?"

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